World Bank approves $495 million for Agriculture in Northern Nigeria

The World Bank’s Board of Executive Directors today approved a US$495.3 million International Development Association (IDA*) credit to improve farmers’ access to irrigation and drainage services, strengthen institutional arrangements for integrated water resources management and improve delivery of agricultural services in selected, large-scale public schemes in northern Nigeria.

The Transforming Irrigation Management in Nigeria (TRIMING) project will improve existing irrigation on 27,000 hectares, irrigate an additional 23,000 hectares, and benefit more than 140,000 farmers while mobilizing private sector investment. It marks a transformational effort to improve large-scale public irrigation for expanding food production and catalysing economic growth in rural areas necessary to end poverty and boost prosperity, as well as enhance resilience of agriculture production systems.

“Unlocking Africa’s development potential requires interventions in key sectors such as energy and water,” said Jamal Saghir, Acting Vice President for the Africa Region, World Bank. “By taking a comprehensive approach, the TRIMING project will increase farm productivity, build climate resilience, reduce flooding risks and improve the lives and well-being of millions of Nigerian citizens in Africa’s largest economy.”

Agriculture is a key sector of the Nigerian economy accounting for 22 percent of gross domestic product in 2012. The Government of Nigeria’s Agricultural Transformation Agenda (ATA) is a major initiative to drive rural income growth, accelerate achievement of food and nutritional security, and generate employment. The Bank’s portfolio of projects in agriculture, including on agriculture research, extension and technology dissemination, as well as market access and value addition, is fully geared towards supporting the implementation of the ATA. Reaching the ATA’s goals requires pursuing an ambitious policy and institutional reform agenda, and transforming public irrigation will play an important role for securing sustainable growth of food production.

“Given Nigeria’s determination to diversify and integrate its national economy to benefit all Nigerians, this project will help to advance this ambition in three vital ways, by restoring agricultural productivity, creating job opportunities for a large number of unskilled young people, as well as creating conditions for growth and peace in northern Nigeria,” said Marie Francoise Marie-Nelly, World Bank Country Director for Nigeria. “

The project will help to set-up Water User Associations (WUAs) and engage local communities in in setting, collecting, and allocating water user fees. The project will also help support the design of a comprehensive reform package for water resources management and irrigation in Nigeria.

“The project’s innovative approach seeks to improve sustainability by promoting autonomy at scheme level and empowering Water Users Associations (WUAs) organization, ” said David Casanova, World Bank Task Team Leader for the TRIMING project. “We look forward to effective implementation of this important project.”

The project will be implemented by the Federal Ministry of Water Resources (FMWR) is planned to become effective on October 1, 2014.